How to cook without cooking.

May 18, 2024 4:23 PM

My stove is out of commission for the foreseeable future. What are some easy meals I can prepare myself so I'm not just eating cereal for dinner for the next week?

This is so sad. The gas company has determined that my stove has a gas leak, and capped it. So now I have no stove/oven until I buy a new one and then have them come back out to un-cap the gas line. It's going to take me a little bit of time to figure all that out. What are some meals I can prepare for myself in the meantime, with NO stove or oven?

Here's what I do have - a toaster oven. A microwave. The rest of a typical kitchen. I do NOT have a bbq. I guess I could get a hot plate like this but are they even safe?

I eat most things but here is what I absolutely will not eat under any circumstances - beans, mushrooms, eggplant. I know the traditional no-cook meal is a salad but... I usually put some chicken or salmon in my salad, Or make pasta or potato or egg or grain salad. Obviously all of that is not doable. Just... greens and cheese or whatever is not going to fill me. I need ideas, fast! Tonight I had cream cheese on rice cakes for dinner! This is not good!

posted by silverstatue to Food & Drink (53 answers total)

Pizza is totally doable in a toaster oven. I get premade crusts, and from there it's simple. Any toppings you like!

Roasted vegetables will work too. Chop vegetable(s), toss in olive oil, season, roast.
posted by humbug at 4:35 PM on May 18

I would get one of these "Pasta Boats" for now and the future. I have one and it does cook perfect pasta in the microwave. It also steams veggies.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:37 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

Go have a very good look at the freezer section of your favorite supermarket. There are one jillion complete meals, and there are also meal components -- so yes, you can get chicken or salmon that you can cook in the micro and then add to your salads if you want. Most of these things can also be cooked in the toaster oven, so between those two appliances I think you can have an extremely well rounded diet.

Frozen food can be quite tasty. The quality of frozen meals can be quite, quite good!
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:44 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

You can cook about anything on a tortilla in the toaster oven. Buy some precooked chicken/(does salmon come like that?)/ tuna in a can. Microwave can cook all the frozen veg!!!

And you can wave potatoes as well, but they usually need some finish. We did get some kind of hot plate when our last stove died. Not sure if it was safe, nor have looked at the one you linked. But, having one burner to boil eggs/fry eggs/ etc. on is pretty useful. Just remember to turn it off!
posted by Windopaene at 4:45 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

If you're willing to spend a few bucks, you have some options.

You can get a single-burner induction plate for about $100.
You can get a 2-burner camping stove and a 16-oz bottle of propane for $50–75 (you may need more than one bottle, but they're about $6).
posted by adamrice at 4:53 PM on May 18 [6 favorites]

If you buy a rotisserie chicken you can eat a chicken Caesar, chicken wraps, chicken salad on a nice bun, etc. You can do similar with canned tuna or salmon.

With canned beans and microwaved frozen corn plus red peppers, tomatoes, and olives you can make black bean salad with cheddar or feta in it.

They have microwave rice, and that and beans and corn also is pretty yummy. You can make rice salad. If you have a kettle you can make the fine kind of couscous or bulgur and used those as a basis for grain salads.

You can also do rice or hummus bowls.
posted by warriorqueen at 4:54 PM on May 18 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Just popping in to say I do not have a kettle, unfortunately. I do have a teeny tiny camping stove like this so I can use that to boil a cup or two of water.

I dont really want to buy any pricey stuff since I have to buy a whole new stove soon!

No beans under any circumstances! I cannot stress enough how much I hate beans.
posted by silverstatue at 4:57 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Your toaster oven is just a mini oven! Explore the settings on there. Can you broil? If you don’t have a small enough tray to fit in there, make one out of foil; just fold up an inch or so on each edge and pinch the corners for stability. You can steam lots of things in the microwave and then finish them off by broiling or roasting at a relatively high temperature in the toaster oven to get browning. Doable with basically any vegetables - try potatoes, green beans, or cauliflower.

Try diced chicken thigh, tossed in your spice blend of choice and roasted in the toaster oven. Cutting it smaller will help it cook evenly. Use this to top salads or pasta or potatoes or in a wrap.

Don’t forget to use the toaster oven for actual toasting - warm toasted pita is wonderful with all kinds of toppings or alongside most meals. Make a visit to a small local bakery and grab some really nice bread you love so you aren’t feeling bereft when you have a side of toast.

You can, in fact, cook pasta in the microwave. You need a dish that can hold your pasta and plenty of water with a well fitting lid that has a small vent. Zap it on high for a couple minutes, stir, re-lid, zap again. Taste a piece, times vary depending on pasta shape and microwave power but once the water is boiling hot you are just cooking the pasta in boiling water, you know?

There are a ton of very good frozen foods now. There are whole meals as well as components. Stuff like frozen tamales, gyoza, or pirogies can be wonderful. There are really good frozen soups and many of the ones that come in boxes and jars are great too, as well as lots of grocery stores having soups ready for the fridge. Microwave and enjoy with some of your very nice toast! If you eat them, grab some cooked frozen shrimp, which you can thaw a few at a time and toss into pretty much anything, cold or hot. Thaw and toast them with cumin and chili, then toss with lime juice and zest, and eat them on corn tortillas you’ve steamed in the microwave with some thinly sliced cabbage and radish.
posted by Mizu at 5:08 PM on May 18 [9 favorites]

If you use that camping stove indoors, probably shouldn't, make sure it is a very well ventilated space. Don't fuck with carbon monoxide and other products of combustion.
posted by Windopaene at 5:10 PM on May 18 [15 favorites]

My partner and I are in a similar boat, having moved to a house that runs on propane, which means that we need to get our stove (the one that came with the house was busted so we brought ours) converted to that before we can cook.

We have been living primarily on sandwiches. Tonight I had a ham sandwich consisting of pumpernickel bread, one slice spread with cream cheese and the other slice with Dijon mustard, and a thick slice of ham.

I’m also craving egg salad enough that I may go buy pre-cooked eggs and pre-cooked bacon, expensive though it is, since my favorite egg salad recipe calls for bacon, and make it.

My partner’s been making small frozen pizzas, and I tend to make bean (I know!) and cheese tostadas in the toaster oven, BUT you can leave the beans off, toast tostadas or tortilla chips with cheese until the cheese melts, spread them with guacamole or mashed avocado, and top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, jalapeños, or whatever veggies you like, maybe sour cream or crema and a squeeze of lime juice.
posted by telophase at 5:23 PM on May 18

Agreed on the frozen dinners angle. Often get a nostalgic hankering for the TV dinners I grew up on. Am always tantalized by all the products on offer. But then grab a Swanson's Hungry-Man TV dinner...
posted by Windopaene at 5:24 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Also, if you’re willing to drop a bit over $20, I can recommend the Fasta Pasta for cooking pasta in your microwave. Cook the pasta, heat up jarred pasta sauce, combine.
posted by telophase at 5:26 PM on May 18

Seconding Mizu here on everything. You can do a lot with a toaster oven. Additionally, check out the freezer section of your grocery store. There are a lot of microwaveable side dishes that can help you get through this. Find some you like, add a protein you cooked in your toaster oven, and there's a meal.
posted by mollweide at 5:26 PM on May 18

I would get a hotplate, since that plus the toaster oven means you can make nearly anything you normally would (just smaller, maybe). The induction ones are really great (but won't work with pots/pans that a magnet wont stick to the bottom of), but the cheap regular ones work, too (just a bit slower than you're used to). Safety is just about making sure to turn it off (same as with a regular stove) and making sure not to use it anywhere where something could conceivably drape on top of it while it's running (same as with a regular stove).

Alternatively, especially if your pots and pans happen to be made of magnet-friendly metal bottoms already, getting a full sized electric/induction oven/stove might be worth considering at this point. You'd probably need an electrician to come run a 240V line from the fuse box, but depending on the layout that might be less of a pain than dealing with the gas company (and it'll save you from the base gas hookup fee every month). Plus it's better for the environment.
posted by nobody at 5:41 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]

There are genuinely very good frozen meals these days. DO you have a Costco nearby? They tend to offer a nice selection of pre-made stuff you can just microwave.
posted by Alensin at 5:54 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

You can get a single-burner induction plate for about $100.

This is what I was going to suggest, especially if you think there's a chance this could drag on for a few more days. (Like, you order the stove, but then they can't deliver until next Tuesday, and so on.) We did this when we had a malfunctioning stove and it worked great. Being able to boil water and heat up soup and fry an egg takes a lot of pressure off of needing to solve the stove situation instantly.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:54 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]

Best answer: This might be a little left field, but we do instant homemade backpacking meals when we camp. You add boiling water and wait, and you can make that boiling water in the microwave. You can buy these meals at camping stores, but they are pricey. You can also buy the components - instant rice, instant mashed potatoes, instant stuffing, couscous, freeze dried chicken (I like the nutristore brand because it's just chicken, no salt added) or other protein, dehydrated veggies (I like Mother Earth products - or you can just use frozen/canned/fresh/raw veggies), add seasoning (and all those takeout packets). I do a Mexican version, an Indian version, an Italian version, and an Asian version when we camp, and we rotate those. There's also ramen; we often do a clean-out-the-fridge-ramen-soup that you can do in the microwave.

So I would investigate what meals backpackers make, and see what you find that sounds good.

And if you would like more details or recommendations, I'm happy to add them, I just didn't want to throw everything at you if you think this whole line of thought is not going to work.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 5:55 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

I googled "sheet pan dinner" -- this was one result. You could make any sheet pan dinner in a toaster oven.
One example (from another site) is a miso roasted chicken, which would be great on a salad.
You probably already heat water in your microwave, and of course you can cook noodles too. You don't have to use the ones with flavors. A noodle salad with some spring onions, carrot strips and a nice punchy dressing would be delicious with some miso roasted chicken on top.

Tortilla pizzas are perfect for toaster oven meals.

Souffles are good in the toaster oven, too. And quite fancy.

In spite of having a full functioning gas stovetop, I bought a single induction burner at IKEA last year, I use it for stuff I want to boil very fast, like the pasta water or my breakfast egg, or for things I want to simmer very slowly. And for the rare occasion where all my other burners are going at the same time (but I wouldn't have bought it just for that). If you don't have a kettle, you would probably really find it useful even when you get your stovel, and the IKEA version costs about the same as an electric kettle, here at least.

I'm not good at microwaving, but my mother had a phase where she cooked everything in the microwave, and she had a cookbook for that purpose. Unfortunately I threw it out when she moved to a nursing home. But maybe you can find one online or at a thrift store?
posted by mumimor at 6:05 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

You can, in fact, cook pasta in the microwave.

And poach eggs. (With precise timing as well!)
posted by offog at 6:08 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Best answer: In your boat I’d get a rotisserie chicken and use it for various things- eat some while it’s still warm from the store, then pull off the rest of the meat and use it for stuff like chicken salad and rice bowls. Get some of those little microwave pouches of rice and other grains. Also, canned fish (salmon comes in a can!). They sell peeled hard boiled eggs in the grocery store. There is all sorts of food out there for people who either can’t or don’t want to cook. Buy precooked meats so you can easily heat them in microwave.
posted by bananana at 6:09 PM on May 18 [5 favorites]

Gyros with cooked chicken from the store (or sliced hard boiled egg from the store—you can get them in a bag) (or even cheese or hummus) from the grocery store, tzatziki, tomato, and lettuce in a pita.
posted by Peach at 6:13 PM on May 18

Dishwasher Salmon
posted by chrisulonic at 6:18 PM on May 18

A $20 hot plate is perfectly safe and functional; if this is just for a couple weeks there’s really no reason to shell out $100 for an induction plate unless you’re already excited about the idea of an induction plate, which you clearly aren’t.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 6:26 PM on May 18 [5 favorites]

You can, in fact, cook pasta in the microwave.

And rice, best money I spent on a kitchen item in recent years was one of these, cheaper alternatives exist. I imagine I could boil pasta in it as well if I wanted to.
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:30 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Please don't use a propane camping stove indoors, it can give you carbon monoxide poisoning which is very bad and even potentially lethal.

Electric hot plates are totally fine and safe. Just don't leave it turned on when you're not using it, same as a regular stove.

You can cook a ton in your toaster over. I use mine like a small regular oven (honestly just to save energy / have a faster pre-heat / not warm up my house as much in the summer) for making baked salmon, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, baked mac n cheese, cookies, etc. I'll try to come back with more specific recipes later.

You can definitely make cookie dough, portion it out into balls, freeze the balls, and the bake however many of the frozen balls you desire for 10 minutes in the toaster oven whenever you want a handful of cookies. I recommend this just for pleasure, as cookies fresh from the oven are way more delicious than old hard cookies IMO!
posted by cnidaria at 6:45 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]

Also if you do want some kind of additional countertop cooking gadget, look into a multicooker like an Instant Pot. There are all sorts of recipes of what you can make in those things.
posted by bananana at 6:46 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

I've cooked all my meals on a hot plate like you linked for almost two years now. The only problem I've had is cleaning it, but mine has no cover on the coil element, so that's to be expected. (I have a fully functional gas stove but my rent includes electricity but not gas.) As stated upthread, just unplug it when you're done with it (and don't put it away in the cupboard until it's cooled off).
posted by bricoleur at 6:58 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Toaster oven mac and cheese It's pretty tasty.
Add deli slice ham chopped up if you want meat

Boil the water for the macaroni in the microwave. After it starts a rolling boil, take it out carefully with a hot pad add the mac. Put it in and put it in for a minute, then stir. Repeat till the mac is cooked and ready to drain. I did this when we were waiting delivery on a new electric stove. Took the old one to the dump, and then they delayed delivery nearly a week. It worked very well to use a clear pyrex mixing bowl to boil the water in.

Or just do one bowl mac and cheese in the microwave and skip the toaster oven.

Sheet pan chicken and veggie 'stir fry' cooks at 425--which is do-able in a toaster oven. Lean hard on the 'mini' oven idea. For one person, you can easily make a full meal in one.

Pick something you want to cook and add either toaster oven or microwave behind it, then google.
Apparently you can even microwave rice
posted by BlueHorse at 7:06 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

For $20-$30 you can get an air fryer on Facebook Marketplace and cook all sorts of things.

If not, Rotisserie chicken is your new best friend -- you can eat it hot or cold, use it as a main protein, cut off pieces for salad, stick it in a sandwich...

You can scramble eggs or make rice in the microwave.

If your area has Too Good To Go, depending on a restaurant, it can be a great way to get a large amount of food for cheap at the end of the day.
posted by virve at 7:17 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Your toaster oven should work for baked salmon and chicken, but if you don't feel it is, you might look at precooked items and then just use it for heating them up. Mini pizzas, tostada, quesdilla, etc. are also great if you get the timing right. Different ovens will have their quirks.
posted by soelo at 7:19 PM on May 18

Picky Dinner - cheese, crackers, veggies, etc
Instant oatmeal, made with water heated in the kettle or microwave. Add seeds, fruit, peanut butter, yogurt, etc.
Scrambled eggs in the microwave
Ramen noodles with kettle or microwave water, add veggies
Ramen noodles, soaked in hot water and drained, tossed with a delectable sauce made by microwaving equal parts peanut butter, soy sauce, and honey
Tuna melt - toast bread, top with tuna salad and cheese, melt again
Open face toast sandwiches with cheese
Avocado toast
Pre-made microwave dinners are often pretty delish
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:27 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

You've gotten a ton of great ideas so I will just add microwave shaksuka.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 7:36 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Dishwasher Salmon

Vincent Price also has some relevant tips.
posted by Dr. Twist at 8:34 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

Cheap electric kettles are also perfectly good in my experience - no need for a big outlay, and very useful any time you need water boiled fast.

Agreed that a toaster oven is an oven, and there are a ton of microwave recipes (and cookbooks) out there. And frozen meals and ingredients are amazing.

If your hatred of beans does not extend to chickpeas or shelled edamame, substitute them in otherwise good-sounding recipes.
posted by trig at 8:45 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

Induction hob is useful because later you can stick it on the table for fondue / KBBQ / hotpot / shabu-shabu later. We have one of the shitty electric and glass stove tops, so our one spot induction hob lives there and is used for pretty much 100% of any stove related cooking (Hid the knobs and everything, so we don't accidentally cook the induction.) Between that and our toaster oven, we basically ignore the oven and stovetop that came with the unit.

I'd also say this is a perfect time to get a griddle / grill (since you don't have one) but if you've got a looming stove purchase, maybe not.
posted by Anonymous Function at 9:40 PM on May 18 [3 favorites]

8 chicken nuggets on a dinner plate with paper towels in microwave on high for 3:20, blot nuggets, cut into 16 pieces, eat with your choice of beverage.

I also enjoy something I invented years ago: 1 packet of TOTALLY PLAIN Quaker Oatmeal in a glass mug, add some Splenda (or not), put tablespoon in mug and add water until even with end of handle, remove spoon and heat in microwave until you see the level ALMOST overflow, hit STOP, add a couple handfuls of raisins, stir, eat once cooled to where you won't burn your mouth.

Also Tostitos chips paired with a Queso dip heated in microwave.
posted by forthright at 10:06 PM on May 18 [1 favorite]

Check your local library – some are lending out things like hot plates. Also, check the local thrift store for induction or hot plates.

If you're already proficient at cooking on a stove, it'll make more sense to spend $60 on the ikea induction plate than an extra $60 on frozen meals or takeouts after disappointing meals. It also helps to take the pressure off the repair and new appliance decisions.

We got an single Duxtop induction hot plate to see if we liked induction, and it was so amazing that we just set it on top of a perfectly functional four-burner electric stove and used it exclusively instead. The speed and control is incredible, and it kicks off much less heat in summer.
posted by dum spiro spero at 10:22 PM on May 18 [4 favorites]

Baked potatoes in the microwave
Tuna salad.
Buy a rotisserie chicken
posted by pairofshades at 11:48 PM on May 18 [2 favorites]

How about trying Sous Vide?
posted by Sophont at 1:07 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

I never thought I recommend tik tok but it’s really good for easy recipes. I’ve gotten several “toaster oven” ideas that we make frequently.
posted by pearlybob at 3:09 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

"I usually put some chicken or salmon in my salad, Or make pasta or potato or egg or grain salad. Obviously all of that is not doable."

You can buy all of that already cooked in most grocery stores
posted by Jacqueline at 4:50 AM on May 19 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You’re getting a stove in a week? You can totally do this. Check out ask mefis about no cook meals, but here is what I would recommend for one week without the need to buy additional kitchenware:

Day one: crusty bread, nice cheese, fresh fruit, salami or sliced turkey

Day two: microwave steamable rice, microwave steamable veggies, frozen fish or chicken nuggets made in the toaster oven, some interesting sauce (kalbi! Creamy cilantro! Sriracha mayo! Pick what appeals to you)

Day three: panzanella- cube some Italian bread, tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar compliment with a side of leftover salami or sliced turkey

Day four: get a rotisserie chicken and pull it apart. Have some over microwave rice with some carrot coins that you roast in the toaster with olive oil.

Day five: use the leftover rotisserie chicken to make a chicken salad with mayo, onion, celery, walnuts and craisins. Eat on crackers or pita with a side of a pickle and some chips

Day six: you definitely have some leftovers at this point to eat up.

Day seven: pizza bagels made in the toaster oven with microwaved veggies.
posted by donut_princess at 5:57 AM on May 19 [9 favorites]

my first reaction to "cooking without 'cooking'" was ceviche. I wouldn't want to eat that day after day for weeks on end (it would also be expensive) but it would be a nice change of pace.
posted by mmascolino at 7:07 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

Those little single burner electric things are great, just use it on a flat surface. I bought one at Walmart a few months ago and used it a lot while I was camping in places with electricity.
posted by mareli at 7:24 AM on May 19

Where I live in upstate NY we are encouraged to switch from gas stoves to electric stoves Have you considered doing that?
posted by mareli at 7:28 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

Electric kettles are really cheap and a fast way to get hot, boiling water much hotter and safer than boiling water in the microwave.

Then take the item you want to cook, like dry pasta, and pour the boiling water over it and let it sit. Remove the pasta and pulse it a few minutes in the microwave in a small amount of water. You can get it to exactly the consistency you like by testing.

Use the leftover water for something like soaking whole grains or a soup base.

I got a great top of the line electric kettle for ten dollars at a thrift shop---never been out of the box. You can also get a slow cooker or instapot; I see them all the time for sale.

Don't cook eggs in the microwave unless they are scrambled. An intact egg has a fat center and a lean covering and lots of internal water and it will explode and break glass and burn you.

Seconding others about not using a camp stove indoors.
posted by effluvia at 7:36 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

The couscous trick.
It's not a salad as such. But it's a good way to start one.

- put couscous in a big bowl, together with the same volume in boiling water, or a bit more (it's not an exact science)
- wait for couscous to soak up all the water (5 minutes or so)
- add frozen peas (almost the same volume as the couscous now has)
- mix
Here comes the magic: Now the couscous is defrosting your peas and the peas are cooling your couscous. Win-win.
Give it a few minutes and add your other ingredients, such as freshly chopped vegetables, olives, tuna, feta. Cilantro leaves, if you lean that way, or parsley, or mint. Add a dressing of your choice, toss and enjoy.
Very fast and tasty result.

(I'd get a cheap or second hand kettle, or borrow one. You can boil eggs in a kettle!)
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:56 AM on May 19 [3 favorites]

Best answer: - Buy a bunch of salad fixins and fruit and blocks/cubes of cheese and cold meats and nuts. Voila! You now have lunch/dinner salads, as well as protein-rich snacks.

- Buy low-sodium canned soups to heat up in the microwave, and bread/bread sticks/crackers to go with it. Voila! Soup and salad for lunch! (This is the only time I suggest using ready-to-wear processed items for your meals... I favor cooking from scratch pretty heavily!)

- Put bread together with cold cuts of meat and serve it with salad or fruit, and voila! Sandwich and salad/fruit for lunch! (You can make hot sandwiches by toasting then open face in your toaster oven!)

- flatbread + pizza toppings in the toaster oven makes pizza! Serve for dinner with salad. Voila, Friday night dinner done!

- Use salad dressings to marinate any relatively thin-cut meat or fish, e.g. boneless chicken breast or pork loin center cuts or tilapia fillets or salmon fillets or peeled deveined shrimp, etc. Bake them covered at high temp in your toaster oven. Voila, main course for every night of the week!

- cook pilaf rice in the microwave: throw rice, water, salt, butter, spices, and shelled green peas in a large bowl and microwave it for 15 minutes. Voila, a side dish to last you 2-3 weeknight dinners to go with your main course.

- cook whole potatoes in the microwave, and serve with chives, butter, sour cream, etc. just like a baked potato. Another easy peasy side dish!

- buy streamable bags of veggies, cook them in the microwave, mix in some seasonings, and serve with shredded cheese on top. Veggies for your weeknight dinners!

- Buy heavy whipping cream. Whip it using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer with powdered sugar and vanilla. Serve with berries. Voila, dessert!

You got this!! It's gonna be super easy to pull off even if you cook everything from scratch and don't use any pre prepared frozen meals.
posted by MiraK at 8:25 AM on May 19 [2 favorites]

Electric hot plates are totally safe, but I find them frustrating because the budget-friendly ones have tiny 7-8" burners that won't boil water and your pans fall off them.

But for about the same $20 investment, you can get an electric skillet. I used to travel a bunch for work by car, and took one with me to use in hotel rooms - if I'd also had a toaster oven I would have been totally covered for every kind of easy-to-moderate weekday meal! Now you can make any protein you want, boil pasta and rice, scramble eggs (I like microwave eggs but some don't), grill a sandwich, stir fry, etc. And they're worth having in a home kitchen for entertaining, making hotpot or KBBQ at the table, etc.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:26 AM on May 19 [1 favorite]

Before you buy anything, I’d suggest joining your local Buy Nothing group, and posting to ask if anyone has items they can either gift or loan you. I’d bet you can get your hands on a kettle, hot plate, etc. for free. Most Buy Nothing groups operate on Facebook; search fb groups for Buy Nothing + your town.
posted by bluloo at 10:50 AM on May 19 [3 favorites]

Using a propane or butane burner indoors will expose you to about as much CO and pollutants as your gas stove. Which is to say, more than is really healthy on a daily basis, but not a significant harm in the short term. I really wanted a gas stove, but if I replace mine, I'll get induction, for indoor air quality reasons, and because propane is a nuisance.

I have friends whose kitchen under has been under construction for ages. They now use an induction burner, but used a butane burner for ages. This one is from Coleman; you can get one today at a camping store, maybe not this brand. Refills are not difficult to find. They are quite handy for car camping. I had a family m,ember who used an electric skillet extensively, not a bad idea, but not for camping, heh.

I have a cheap electric kettle from amzn, it's fast and justifies counter space. Agree with the Buy Nothing recommendation.

You can boil water and make pasta or rice in a microwave. Also soft or hard boiled eggs. Bake a sweet or whit potato, steam vegetables. If you eat frozen meals, you'll probably want more veg - frozen chopped spinach with a dash of vinegar, or those frozen bricks of pureed cooked squash are my go-tos. I add frozen broccoli, peas, cauliflower to deli pasta salad, which also helps with the too-much-dressing issue. Chopped olives or pickles for deli potato salad. You can roast vegetables in a toaster oven and cook pork shops, sausage, maybe hamburgers.

I live near a Market Basket; their ready-made food is varied and pretty good, and when my kitchen was under construction, I went to all the local groceries for deli and salad bar variety.
posted by theora55 at 11:14 AM on May 19 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Don't worry everyone! Of course I know not to use my camping stove inside! If I use it at all, it will be in my backyard :)
posted by silverstatue at 11:31 AM on May 19 [3 favorites]

When the stove in my last place had issues and it was too old for finding replacement parts, I bought a slow cooker. They're relatively cheap and are great for pot roast, pulled pork, beef stew - basically anything that benefits from being cooked wet, low and slow. Just avoid recipes that have canned soup in them unless you like a lot of salt.
Here's one of my favorite recipes.

It's been more than 14 years since the oven replacement. We're in a different house and I still use the slow cooker routinely.

Yesterday I made collard greens like so:
3-4 bunches of collard greens, stems removed and chopped roughly
2 tomatoes, diced (or 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes)
1/4C vinegar (cider or red wine are fine)
1/2 t liquid smoke
2T brown sugar
3/4C of water/broth
1/2-1t red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Dump everything into the crock, stir, put on the lid, set on low for about 4 hours or more.
posted by plinth at 7:28 AM on May 20 [2 favorites]